How traffic in Raleigh, Durham compares to N.C., global cities
(Triangle Business Journal, February 22, 2017)
Stuck in traffic on your commute? Newly released data shows it could be much worse.
Triangle cities pale in comparison to Los Angeles, which ranked No. 1 globally for worst traffic, where the average commuter spent more than 104 hours in congestion in 2016.
But the numbers could be better, says Joe Milazzo, executive director of Raleigh-based Regional Transportation Alliance business coalition. Infrastructure investments could help improve commute times, he says. He points to the Complete 540 Project in southern Wake County and widening Interstate 40 near Garner.
Milazzo says congestion will always be an issue in a thriving area.
“But the places we compete with? It’s not even close now,” he says. Consider traffic at the Triangle’s economic competitors. In Atlanta, drivers average nearly 71 hours per year in congestion. In Austin, Texas, the average is 47 hours. “The numbers are still really good and hopefully we’re making investments to keep them that way.